ZBlue996Kam

I'm thinking about getting either a suburban or yukon xl to replace my good old 97 expedition because the GM Employee Discount program.

What are the major differences between suburban and yukon xl?

Personally, I think the yukon xl looks better.

Kam

Larry Herman

Kam, get the Yukon XL Denali. It is what I have & it is great. Leather, sunroof, heated seats, great stereo, dual air, 6.0 liter motor, active ride suspension, air leveling system - all standard! And I have averaged 13.4 mpg over the last 65,000 miles; towing and all. It is worth the extra money. BTW I'm checking on the tax write-offs I have for 2005, cause I might just trade it in on a new one.

Juan Lopez

I think the Sub is longer than the Yukon (I could be wrong though). The trim level on the Yukon Denali is MUCH more nicer than the Sub.

I chose the Avalanche.

ZBlue996Kam

Larry:

The Denali is out of my price range.

Juan:

I think the Yukon XL is actually suburban except some minor styling differences

Kam

Juan Lopez

OK I guess the XL stands for xtra large. I know the older Yukon's were shorter on the rear overhang.

I agree, they are pricey.....

techno99

Yukon=Tahoe, Yukon XL=Suburban

Bull

Right down the same production line......

ngoldrich

If you are going to tow a heavy trailer - get the Yukon XL 3/4 ton. With the 8.1 Liter & 4.10 gear it can tow 11,000. Get autoride too. I am on my second one (had the first one 4 years & 90K miles) and they are great. I tow a 10,000 lb trailer.

Norm

ZBlue996Kam

Thanks for the advices.

tntporsche

I have owned a 95 Sub 2500 since new . . . I towed with it for many years . . . presently has 230,000 miles with no major work (I'm knocking on wood as hard as I can) . . . .I don't tow with it anymore except for very short hauls. It is the absolute best utility vehicle I have ever owned. I really can't justify a new one since I just don't have the need for this type of vehicle anymore but I will not part with it either.

ZBlue996Kam

My current 97 Expedition has been giving me 3 to 4000 dollars of repairs since my extended warranty expired.

The latest problem was spark plug blown out of the cylinder head and it will cost 3,000 dollars to replace the passenger side cylinder head, coil pack, and spark plugs.

I'm hoping the new Yukon or Suburban will have less issues.

Manny Alban

My first Suburban had 203K miles with only a new alternator and starter during that time. No tranny or engine troubles at all. It was a tow vehicle from day one too. I sold it to my mechanic who still drives it. He's had to replace a windshied though

I replaced it with a 2002 Suburban and it's been equally reliable. Has about 82K on it and it's been a tow vehicle all its life too. Both were 1500's because I only tow an open trailer, so it's been perfectly fine for that. It's also my daily driver.

ZBlue996Kam

Manny, how many track events you do a year? 82,000 on a three year old vehicle!

Manny Alban

Let's see, three trips to Sebring, one to Daytona, a trip to Ft. Worth and Tampa parades and of course, two years as Zone 2 Rep. Yup, the miles do add up...of course, I tell my wife its her shopping trips that rack up the miles

Jase007

Kam:

I drive a '99 GMC K1500 "1/2 ton" Suburban with 95,xxx miles. I tow an enclosed trailer + car = ~#5,000. It has a 5.7L or 350c.i. V8. I looked at K2500 "3/4 ton" vehicles and couldn't justify the added size /weight for a daily driver. With the right gearing [4:10s], tow package, [tranny cooler, etc...] a K1500 [chebby or GMC] will pull #7,000 or more. CHeck the many chebby / GMC sites for info on towing capacities.

Towing anything north of #6-7K, I would be looking at the K2500 "3/4 ton" with 454 7.4L [or modern equivalents introduced in 2000 - 350 and 454 dis-continued in tahoes/ suburbans for model year 2000] built up chassis, axles, bearings, D or E load rated tires, etc...

I tow to FL [couple of times], carolinas, watkins Glen, NY, CT and lime rock on a regular basis. Only mod I will make is to add air bags above rear springs [$400] and in-cab controller to level the rear under load.

PM if you want more details on issues with the Vortec 350 and 454 motors. Achilles heel [easy to repair] are the fuel pump and intake manifold gaskets ... both of which I recently repaired. Not a tough DIY.

Jason.